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Westworld (1973 film soundtrack)
|image= Westworld 1973 Karlin soundtrack original edition.jpg|thumb|150px |music by=Fred Karlin |composer=Fred Karlin |country=United States |release date= 1973 |runtime= 30 minutes 49 seconds }}The Westworld motion picture soundtrack, composed for the original 1973 film by Fred Karlin, was first released in 1973. Since then, it has been rereleased several times, most recently in February 2017 by WaterTower Music. Most of the releases, whether on LP, cassettes (MC), CD or via digital distribution, consist of a 12-track soundtrack, composed, performed, arranged and adapted by Karlin unless otherwise noted. It should be noted the soundtrack, whilst it's quite extensive, does not contain all individual pieces from the film. Examples of such omitted tracks include the Westworld jailbreak music, the music heard during the morning activation of the three parks, another major variation on the robot ambient leitmotif, one minor Medieval World theme, and some of the minor Western music heard at the saloon. Musical themes and instrumentation The original film's soundtrack established the franchise's tradition of combining traditional and classical music, music typical of Western films, and electronic ambient music into an immersive film score, bringing together ecclectic and anachronistic musical elements. Karlin's compositions for the film can be broadly divided into leitmotifs reflecting the historical settings of the film’s three parks and into leitmotifs covering the topic of robotics, advanced technology and entertainment artifice. Certain themes then also combine both types of leitmotifs, usually in a deliberately intermeshed, overlapping manner. Electronic music The major electronic theme of the soundtrack is the leitmotif for the robots and their maintenance. A slow and haunting melody, it evokes a sense of mystery and otherworldliness, and includes brief sound effects with a metallic tone. The leitmotif is heard most distinctly in the track "Robot Repair", but appears throughout the entire film in several variations, including shorter snippets in otherwise different themes. Though an artificial sound dominates the robot leitmotif, it is interspersed with some minor traditional musical elements. These are meant to resemble more contemplative ambient music, heard in some spaghetii Western films. In this way, the leitmotif reflects both the idea of state-of-the-art, unfathomable humanoid machines and the idea of the wide and often mysterious landscape of the Old West. The character of the Gunslinger has his own theme, more overtly ominous and foreboding, though building upon the elements of the robot leitmotif. Some of the Gunslinger theme’s major distinctions are sound effects similar to reverbating, echoing thuds or ripples, and a rhytmic, but cacophonic tune, evoking the robot’s steady, relentless gait. Contemporary instruments used by Karlin for creating the electronic part of the score included the Yamaha A5 keyboard, ARP 2600 synthesizer and an echoplex. Westworld - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Chapter III Records, 2000, CD) at Discogs.com Traditional and classical music Traditional instrumentation predominates in the more carefree first half of the film’s storyline. Most of this music is related to the Westworld park. A player piano is heard prominently in the track "Bar Room Piano" and the first half of "Welcome to Westworld". Guitar, banjo and violin tunes are heard prominently in the second half of "Welcome to Westworld" and in "Stagecoach Arrival", "The Western Warble" and "Theme from Westworld". The track "The Western Warble" also includes whistling vocals. The Medieval World park has two larger leitmotifs of its own ("Medieval World", "The Queen’s Indiscretion"), based on medieval and Renaissance era music and played on period instruments. Combined approach and experimentation The use of traditional instruments in the score wasn't limited to leitmotifs representing the historical settings of the individual parks. Karlin engaged in some experimentation as well, especially for the tracks that combined traditional and electronic instruments and specially modified sound effects. As noted by Karlin in a 1994 interview, unusual use of traditional instruments on the soundtrack included that of a deliberately out-of-tune violin and out-of-tune banjo. These are heard prominently during the chase sequence ("Chase From Westworld", "Chase From Westworld - Part 2") as sinisterly echoing string instruments. Their frantic sound is meant to contrast with the earlier laid-back usage of the same instruments, heard up until that point. In keeping with the merger of the historical and the modern, the sound of the two acoustic instruments often blends together with the electronic ambients and leitmotifs, representing the robots and artifice of the parks. One interesting musical idea featured in the Chase theme consists of the out-of-tune string instruments imitating the rhytm of a galloping horse, and at certain points, also the sound and rhytm of a player piano. Jazz-influenced instrumentation is also heard briefly at certain parts of the two Chase themes. Interview with Fred Karlin for Soundtrack Magazine (1994), archived at The Cinemascore & Soundtrack Archives website Another theme to feature odd use of traditional instrumentation, combined with electronic music, is the aforementioned Gunslinger theme. One of the minor saloon themes includes piano and guitar music that has a somewhat anachronistic feel to its melody and is played in a non-19th century manner. This might be an early example of a work in the Westworld franchise employing the idea of anachronistic music, disguised by seemingly period-fitting instruments, something used to great effect in the later HBO series. "Westworld: The Original Sound Track Album" (1973) Track Listing The original release of the film’s soundtrack album was developed and licensed by MGM Records Inc. in 1973, and published by the Hastings Music Corp., to coincide with the theatrical release of the film. The release was on vinyl LP only. Westworld - The Original Sound Track Album (MGM Records Inc., Hastings Music Corp, Vinyl, LP) at Discogs.com The album’s Canadian release and distribution were overseen by Polydor Ltd. Westworld - The Original Sound Track Album (MGM Records Inc., Hastings Music Corp, Polydor Ltd., Vinyl, LP) at Discogs.com Side A Side B "Westworld: : The Original Sound Track Album" (1986) Track Listing The first major rerelease of the soundtrack album occurred in 1986, via MCA Records, as part of their MCA Classics Soundtracks series. The rerelease was available both on vinyl LP and cassettes (MC). Mastered at MCA/Whitney recording studio, Glendale, California. Westworld - The Original Sound Track Album (MCA records, Vinyl, LP) at Discogs.com Westworld - The Original Sound Track Album (MCA records, Cassette, Dolby B NR / HX Pro) at Discogs.com Side A Side B "Westworld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (2000) Track Listing CD release. Reissue of the album by Chapter III Records, as part of their "Chapter III Classics" edition. Westworld - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Chapter III Records, 2000, CD) at Discogs.com "Westworld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (2017) Track Listing Online digital release. Reissue of the album by WaterTower Music in February 2017, as part of their "Warner Bros. Archive Collection" edition. Westworld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at WaterTower-Music.com Composer's commentary The following two paragraphs, discussing the score for Westworld, first appeared in an interview with composer Fred Karlin for a 1994 issue of Soundtrack Magazine. Interview with Fred Karlin for Soundtrack Magazine (1994), archived at The Cinemascore & Soundtrack Archives website External Links *''Westworld (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Fred Karlin at itunes.apple.com'' *''Westworld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at WaterTower-Music.com'' References Category:Music Category:Westworld Film series (1970s)